The IMF gang must break a gambler so he can't afford to buy weapons to terrorize a neighboring nation. This is not Ian Fleming's 007 or Casino Royale, it's the friendly Impossible Missions Force with Cinnamon (Barbara Bain), Barney (Greg Morris), Willy (Peter Lupis), Rollin (Martin Landau) and Andre Malif (guest star Nico Minardos). Once the mission is revealed and the mission's members selected, Dan Briggs (Steven Hill) doesn't appear anywhere else in this episode. Some of the tricks used to deprive Prince Iben Kostas (played by Nehemiah Persoff) of his money seem pretty far-fetched, even for the IMF. For example, a complex computer that reads the spin of the roulette wheel and calculates the winning number before the ball drops. Even in 2007 that kind of technology boggles the mind, so for 1966 it's a real reach. Nevertheless, Odds on Evil is still in the top 10 of the episodes of season 1. Bruce Geller could film an episode of Mission Impossible on a couple of small sound stages at Desilu/Paramount, and on the back lot and make it look like it's Madagascar or Nassau. Season 1 of Mission Impossible came along just as CBS decided to bite the bullet and go to color (color broadcasts began with the fall 1966 season, same time MI premiered), and all of the episodes in season one are a visual feast for the eyes. Paramount should consider a movie franchise based on this series. So much potential. The three Tom Cruise films, while very entertaining have little to do with the series except the music.
6 Reviews
Cinnamon "Badass" Carter!
bthomas1000327 September 2020
I think this the only episode in the entire 7 years that the female agent kick some serious but. Seeing Cinnamon ( I know it's male stunt double) take out a killer while wearing high heels, full length gown AND a full length fur coat loaded with 1.5 million dollars was, awesome! That made me give this episode an extra 2 stars!
Girl Power!!!
Good but VERY familiar stuff.
planktonrules2 February 2014
When the episode begins, Briggs receives his mission in a very unusual way--on an old Mutoscope machine. That's one of those old hand-cranked moving picture devices they had around the turn of the century. It seems that Prince Kostas (Nehemiah Persoff) is planning an invasion of his friendly neighboring country. To finance it, he's put aside $1,500,000. However, he has a weakness. He owns a casino and he's a terrible cheater. So, if the IM Force can manage to cheat the cheater, they could take his fortune and prevent the invasion.
This episode plays much like a James Bond story (such as "Casino Royale") as well as quite a few later episodes of "Mission: Impossible". Because of this, it's awfully familiar material. However, despite it being less original than I liked, it was well executed and fun. Additionally, I always enjoy seeing Persoff--and with a bazillion TV appearances in the 1950s-80s, there are many opportunities to indulge this! Worth your time.
This episode plays much like a James Bond story (such as "Casino Royale") as well as quite a few later episodes of "Mission: Impossible". Because of this, it's awfully familiar material. However, despite it being less original than I liked, it was well executed and fun. Additionally, I always enjoy seeing Persoff--and with a bazillion TV appearances in the 1950s-80s, there are many opportunities to indulge this! Worth your time.
Mission Highly Unlikely: 5 Adults in an Aston Martin Coupe
Marqymarquis13 April 2017
Mission Impossible 1/6 Odds On Evil The impossible mission here isn't getting Rollin Hand to dupe a Baccarat playing card sharping despot into losing $1.5 million dollars, but a getaway plan of five adults including well built Martin Landau and very well built Peter Lupus into an Aston Martin DB6 (in red, with embassy insignia) Barbara Bain is among the five escapees - her fur coat lined with of all those Yankee dollars - and - as this is 1966 - her coat is almost certainly constructed from the pelts of assassinated wildlife. So there we have it: Politics made possible by political incorrectness - to quote someone else: "it is an irony worthy of Chekov"
Odds on Evil
Prismark104 April 2024
The plot seems to be a riff of Casino Royale. It is also a Daniel Briggs lite episode. He disappears after the introductory scenes.
The mission is to stop Prince Kostas (Nehemiah Persoff) to wage war with his oil rich neighbouring country.
He plans to use $1.5 million to buy arms in order to achieve his aims.
Rollin Hand has a plan to bust the casino that the Prince owns in his principality.
It involves a computer hooked up to predict the roulette wheel. Later take on the Prince in a game of baccarat. Rollin hand has fixed the card deck.
After all that they need to make a getaway in a small sports car.
My word there were some risks in this episode. The Prince could had just shot them all. Instead they drive through border control at speed and hope to avoid the bullets. Even I wondered how five people managed to get in that sports car and still drive fast.
The mission is to stop Prince Kostas (Nehemiah Persoff) to wage war with his oil rich neighbouring country.
He plans to use $1.5 million to buy arms in order to achieve his aims.
Rollin Hand has a plan to bust the casino that the Prince owns in his principality.
It involves a computer hooked up to predict the roulette wheel. Later take on the Prince in a game of baccarat. Rollin hand has fixed the card deck.
After all that they need to make a getaway in a small sports car.
My word there were some risks in this episode. The Prince could had just shot them all. Instead they drive through border control at speed and hope to avoid the bullets. Even I wondered how five people managed to get in that sports car and still drive fast.
The Arms Dealer & The Baccarat Player
profh-126 May 2024
Warning: Spoilers
The head of a foreign country intends to buy arms so he can invade his neighbors. But he also owns a casino and is addicted to baccarat. So the IMF's plan is to challenge him at the game-- and CHEAT better than he does, taking all his cash and preventing the arms sale, and thus, the invasion. Admitedly, a variation on Ian Fleming's "Casino Royale" (at the time, adapted only as a LIVE episode of TV's "CLIMAX!" series in 1954), but with a very high-tech twist.
Steven Hill (who plays IMF team leader "Dan Briggs") had a serious scheduling problem as he was an Orthodox Jew and the show's production schedule saw each episode take 7 whole days to complete. It began to catch up with him here, as he only appears in the opening scenes! It's no wonder that after that, they recruited Nico Minardos to play CARD SHARK "Andre Malif", a role that Briggs himself would probably have filled if it wasn't for the weekend sabbath. "Malif" is the poor and often drunken husband of the filthy-rich hottie played by "Cinnamon Carter" (Barbara Bain), who gets to act far more sexy and "dangerous" than usual for her. At the climax, she even gets to be involved in the kind of physical fight you usually only see AVENGERS girls (Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg, Linda Thorson, Joanna Lumley) engage in!
After Andre loses his wife's money, another card shark, this time portrayed by "Rollin Hand" (Martin Landau) takes over, and that's when the playing gets REALLY serious. Rollin's character ISN'T screwing around, as the baddie soon realizes to his quickly-growing horror.
Nehemiah Persoff (SOME LIKE IT HOT, 6 different episodes of THE UNTOUCHABLES) is "Prince Iben Kostas", a would-be Hitler who should have stuck to running a casino. As he begins to lose, he gets more and more angry and excited, and his ultra-cool opponent Rollin only makes it worse.
The BIG twist was when I figured out they were somehow going to use Kostas' own car to sneak the cash out of the country. The BIGGER twist was when Cinnamon's "drunken husband" SHOT HER DEAD in front of Kostas, who she's spent the entire episode flirting with. I almost fell out of my chair laughing at that moment, and what followed made this the MOST-entertaining climax of any M:I I've seen so far!
Steven Hill (who plays IMF team leader "Dan Briggs") had a serious scheduling problem as he was an Orthodox Jew and the show's production schedule saw each episode take 7 whole days to complete. It began to catch up with him here, as he only appears in the opening scenes! It's no wonder that after that, they recruited Nico Minardos to play CARD SHARK "Andre Malif", a role that Briggs himself would probably have filled if it wasn't for the weekend sabbath. "Malif" is the poor and often drunken husband of the filthy-rich hottie played by "Cinnamon Carter" (Barbara Bain), who gets to act far more sexy and "dangerous" than usual for her. At the climax, she even gets to be involved in the kind of physical fight you usually only see AVENGERS girls (Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg, Linda Thorson, Joanna Lumley) engage in!
After Andre loses his wife's money, another card shark, this time portrayed by "Rollin Hand" (Martin Landau) takes over, and that's when the playing gets REALLY serious. Rollin's character ISN'T screwing around, as the baddie soon realizes to his quickly-growing horror.
Nehemiah Persoff (SOME LIKE IT HOT, 6 different episodes of THE UNTOUCHABLES) is "Prince Iben Kostas", a would-be Hitler who should have stuck to running a casino. As he begins to lose, he gets more and more angry and excited, and his ultra-cool opponent Rollin only makes it worse.
The BIG twist was when I figured out they were somehow going to use Kostas' own car to sneak the cash out of the country. The BIGGER twist was when Cinnamon's "drunken husband" SHOT HER DEAD in front of Kostas, who she's spent the entire episode flirting with. I almost fell out of my chair laughing at that moment, and what followed made this the MOST-entertaining climax of any M:I I've seen so far!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
